EPFL spin-off Medusoil has successfully tested its ground-stabilization process on cliffs subject to surface erosion. The company's biomineral-based solution can be used to stabilize sandy and gravelly subsoils to safeguard ...
Biochemistry
Nov 20, 2019
0
3
Coccolithophores are microscopic marine algae that use carbon dioxide to grow, and release carbon dioxide when they create their miniature calcite shells. These tiny, abundant planktonic microorganisms could therefore be ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 15, 2019
0
76
The ocean floor as we know it is dissolving rapidly as a result of human activity.
Environment
Oct 29, 2018
2
497
With their current approach, energy companies can extract about 35 percent of the oil in each well. Every 1 percent above that, compounded across thousands of wells, can mean billions of dollars in additional revenue for ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 28, 2018
1
93
Scales are the material of choice for animals from pangolins to fish: They're customizable, water-friendly, strong but flexible, and easy to fix when damaged.
Materials Science
Jan 26, 2018
0
63
EPFL's Laboratory of Soil Mechanics has developed an easily reproducible technique using bacteria and urea to reinforce sandy or gravelly terrain. A series of chemical reactions lead to the rapid formation of mineral crystals ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 23, 2018
0
7
The results of new international research into tiny marine plankton will allow scientists to more precisely estimate past ocean conditions and predict future changes, and suggests global warming may have a bigger impact on ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 3, 2017
0
40
Calcite is one of the most abundant components of the Earth's crust, constituting the largest carbon reservoir in the global carbon cycle. Thus, large-scale dissolution of calcite would have enormous impact on the weather, ...
Materials Science
Jul 27, 2017
0
2
No self-respecting construction engineer would ever choose pure calcite – a weak, brittle mineral found in chalk – as a building material.
Materials Science
May 3, 2016
1
241
Ancient records tell us that the intrepid Viking seafarers who discovered Iceland, Greenland and eventually North America navigated using landmarks, birds and whales, and little else. There's little doubt that Viking sailors ...
Archaeology
Feb 1, 2016
1
197
